Brighton teen sentenced to 4 weekends in jail

The Brighton teen who crashed into the back of a school bus last October, injuring three of his friends, apologized in court Thursday before being sentenced to four weekends in jail.

John Zakhary, 17, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of assault and one count of misdemeanor reckless driving in connection with the crash on Warren Avenue, in which his sedan became lodged beneath the back of a bus carrying elementary school students.

"The memory of those events has haunted me every day," Zakhary told Monroe County Court Judge James Piampiano. "Not a day goes by that I don't pray for Scott, Krista, Kevin and their families."

Piampiano lumped Zakhary in with other self-absorbed cellphone-carrying, video game-playing teenagers, but noted his good grades and community involvement and thanked him for being "man enough" to accept responsibility and apologize.

Zakhary will serve four weekends in jail starting Sept. 6, then 12 work weekends. He'll be on probation for five years and do 200 hours of community service.

His driver's license will be revoked for five years unless a court grants him approval sooner. He was sentenced as a youthful offender, meaning he will not have a criminal record.